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Italian Salad (Cut into dice enough cold)
Cut into dice enough cold boiled potatoes to make 2 cupfuls, and enough cold boiled beets to make 1/2 cupful. Arrange on a bed of lettuce leaves or in a ring of aspic jelly, and garnish with gherkins and anchovies.
A composed salad rather than a tossed one, and the instructions assume you already know your way around the dressing recipes that sit alongside it in this section.
- No dressing is specifiedThe original leaves it to the cook, and such recipes commonly appeared in books that printed dressings elsewhere. A plain vinaigrette of roughly three parts oil to one of wine vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper, would suit; mayonnaise thinned with vinegar is another period possibility.
- CupfulsThe cupful is most likely the half-pint, 8-fluid-ounce cup. Two cupfuls of diced potato works out at roughly three medium boiled potatoes, on the order of 1 lb before peeling; the half cupful of beet is about one small beet.
- Dice the beets lastBeet juice will stain the potato pink within minutes. Cut and dress the potato first, cut the beets on a separate board, and fold them in at the last moment or scatter them over the top so the dish stays two colours.
- Potatoes want to be warm when dressedPotatoes and dressing -- The recipe calls for cold boiled potato, presumably left over. Warm potato takes up dressing more readily, so if you are cooking specially for this salad you may prefer to dress the dice while still warm and let them cool in it; waxy varieties hold their shape better than floury ones.
- Aspic ringThe ring of aspic jelly means a savoury meat or vegetable stock set with gelatine in a ring mould, unmoulded onto the plate with the salad heaped in the centre. Reckon about 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatine to a pint of well-flavoured stock for a jelly firm enough to unmould.
- AnchoviesSalt-packed anchovies were the usual article in this period; they are sold whole and need rinsing, a brief soak and boning before use. Oil-packed tinned fillets can be used straight, but drain them well or the salad turns greasy.
- GherkinsSour pickled gherkins, sliced lengthways or fanned, not the sweet gherkins sold in most supermarkets. Cornichons are the closest match to what was meant.
- YieldEnough for four as a side salad, or two as a light lunch course if you are generous with the anchovies.